Nazareth
The Golden City of Nazareth is the capital city of the Dominion of Keter. Home to a wealth of advanced technology and powerful magic, Nazareth has always been a superpower in Eden since the time of the Angels - indeed, it was once the capital city of their civilization. The city has been utterly destroyed twice, the survivors simply relocating nearby. In the Angel War, Metatron shattered the mountain the city was built upon to strike against the Angels. The survivors rebuilt by a river junction several hundred miles away, primarily using the wood from the abundant forests nearby - resulting in the city being a major firebombing target during the War in Heaven. It has since stood after being rebuilt for the third and final time. Despite being known as the Golden City, Nazareth hardly possesses any gold at all. The majority of the city is made of a yellowed stone, quarried not too far from the city itself, and countless well-placed lights cast a golden hue over the rest of the city. The city is built on a junction of three rivers, which flow through massive, artificial channels. Much of the city is powered by Metatron's Shrine - a structure left in the wake of the War in Heaven, said to be a gift to the people. This structure outputs arcane energies on a massive scale, generally converted to electricity to power the entire nation. There are several hydroelectric dams placed within the channels, additionally serving as bridges and aesthetic design. There are no significant ground vehicles in the city - transportation is handled either via walking, boat, or airship. These airships are fueled entirely by the power from Metatron's Shrine, and are free for public use. The city follows a rigorous building code to maintain its general aesthetic. RP Area Roots It was a quiet evening in Nazareth. In the gentle golden glow of the city lights, atop one of the great bridges spanning the vast rivers flowing through the city, a figure stood, looking over the city. A gentle breeze was felt and seen, her hair gently fluttering in the wind as Lilitu sighed, grasping a journal in her left hand. After a moment, she held it up, opening it to write - pausing as a faint circle of light pulsed on her glove. "Hm...? It seems that things are going to be...interesting..." Lilitu mused, starting to record something in her journal, the sun setting behind her. A person in the distance could be seen running in Lilitu's direction, appearing to look around before stopping, and resting on the bridge. They sit down and take off their backpack, frantically fidgeting around with the contents inside before pullung out bandages and disinfectant. Sakael rolled up his sleeve and started tending to a rather large open wound. "Fuck, getting too reckless. Really should have watched out...." Immediately wary, Lilitu spun to face the stranger, eyes narrowing as she slammed her journal shut, hand immediately moving to her waist. A faint shimmer in the air was visible around her, a subtle distortion of the light as the circles on her gloves glowed a fiery red. Upon seeing the wounds, Lilitu seemed to pause, the circles on her gloves seemingly fading - but she did not speak, nor step closer. Sakael continued to work on his injury, not immediately noticing Lilitu until a bit after sitting down. He finishes rather sloppily and pulls his hood down lower, with a few long strands of black hair being visible. He slowly gets up, holding his arm slightly as he notices the glowing circles and distortion of light. "Usually im the paranoid one. No need to use magic." "Lilitu was not intending on doing so." She calmly replied, leaning against the railing - a brief glint of what looked like metal visible where her hand was. "Light and metal will do." Sakael shakes his head. "Damn right metal will do." Sakael's hand also has a glint of metal, however in the shape of a firearm. "But, not for today. I dont think peole would be happy if blood got on this bridge." He looks down to the drops of blood that came from his arm. "Well, not any''more'' blood." He puts the firearm away. "What did the stranger do?" Lilitu questioned, seemingly unconcerned at spotting a gun - after all, she had one too. Seeing that he put his away, she raised a hand, a ripple moving through the air towards Sakael...and seemingly ignoring him, the blood on the ground being forced up and off the bridge, into the river. "Useful trick." Sakael seems a little put off by how she talks. "Got into a little fight, is all. The injury wasnt from that though, it was from getting away." He holds onto his arm a bit tighter. "Should heal fast, im used to it." "Oh? And who might the stranger be?" Lilitu asked, cautiously stepping closer, the circles on her gloves glowing a faint blue. "Perhaps Lilitu might help, if the stranger is not..." She paused for a moment, glancing down the street, "...Well, as long as they are not a criminal." She finished. "No, im not a criminal. Not quite. Surprised the skeleton hood didnt ring any bells but then again I do most of my work in Babylon." He steps closer. "The stranger is Sakael. And you are?" "Lilitu Anima." She properly introduced herself - though Sakael likely caught her name earlier. "Babylon? What brings Sakael to Nazareth?" She asked, now standing next to Sakael - holding her hands out, a faint light numbing the pain and slowly knitting the wound together. He smiles from underneath his hood, pulling it down as well as rolling his sleeve back down. "Just hoping I could get a better life. Babylon is a relly rough place. Thanks, by the way." He looks around. "Feel like the nights are different here too. Serene but uneasy, especially now. Cant really tell why....and im ranting. Nevermind about that, good to meet you, I suppose." "This part of the city is rather peaceful, but one should be careful." Lilitu said - and for a moment, an expression came across her face that - perhaps given time, water, and care - might have been a smile if she didn't cut it down early. He raises an eyebrow, but shrugs as he puts his backpack on. "Guessing you live in this area then? Havent really been around here myself." "Lilitu lives nearby, yes.. Does Sakael live around here?" She asked, glancing down the bridge to see if anyone was there - and nobody was. "Lilitu's healing is not particularly effective. Sakael should...tend to his wound in safety." "No, I live pretty far. Partly due to the fight as to why im so far from the surroundings im used to." He adjusts his bag. "And yeah Id rather be somewhere a bit safer than here." "The university is nearby, and permanently open. There should be somewhere safe there." Lilitu responded, motioning for him to follow her. "Lead the way then." Sakael nods and follows after her. "You ever been to Babylon, by the way?" "No. Lilitu does not have time to travel." She responded after a moment, glancing down at the journal briefly, taking a somewhat hurried pace. "You seem like you can take care of yourself well so I suggest taking a visit. Things are getting better. The Citadel of Sound isnt so shitty any more." "Lilitu does not have time to travel." She replied immediately, "She has...other responsibilities." "We all have responsibilities but we can always take time for ourselves. Not like you've only got one night to live." Sakael gives a slight laugh. "Sakael does not understand Lilitu's situation." She seemed to want to leave it at that, turning around the corner and motioning towards a building. "The University of Nazareth. There should be somewhere private to treat Sakael's injury." "Appreciated. He walks into the building as he rolls up his sleeve to check the wound. The bandages are bloodied and clearly need to be changed. "Damnit. Eitherway itd be worse if not for your healing." Lilitu walked in as well, stepping behind a counter and grabbing a first-aid kit. "There are many...accidents in here. As such, medical supplies are...common..." She says idly as she opens it up. "Considering some people can be idiots when it comes to handlin their Sparks I could imagine so." Sakael takes his bag off and sets it down with a thud as he unwraps the bloodied bandages. As the first aid kit opens, the necessary supplies simply...float towards Sakael, the same shimmer in the air visible under them as the one around Lilitu when he first saw her. "You really fancy using that ability dont you?" His tone is one that is just to poke fun, watching the supplies float by. "It is Lilitu's Spark. It is only natural." She replied, the supplies placing themselves in front of Sakael. "Wish I could use mine more often. Excessive use becomes....detrimental." Sakael rxtends his fingers out as a spike of bone quickly grows out the tips of them, before retracting. Strangely, the opening heals much faster than the injury on his arm. Lilitu stared at it for a moment, "Bone manipulation? ...Painful." She said, moving over to continue treating him. "Not really, no. A high pain threshold comes with the spark. Makes treating wounds easier too. Although pain threshold can only go so far, its not a good idea to change the shape of my rib cage." He shrugs. "Doesn't hurt to snap em off either. They always re-grow." "Hmhmm. May Lilitu study one, then?" She asked, "Perhaps she might be able to help you improve your ability." He seems reluctant. "If you have to? Not really used to people taking time to lea4n about my Spark. Guess its fine, though. Im always up for improvement." "Lilitu is researching the interaction of Sparks and magic. Her sister is an expert in biomanipulation." She replied, "It is only natural." For a moment, she seemed to smile. He seems a bit relieved shes given a full on smile. "Sounds like she could assist me with my Spark as well then. What have you gotten from your research as of now?" She paused for a moment, "...Several books worth." She replied, seemingly amused. Sakael seems surprised. "Huh. Suppose itd be cool to add to the collection then. After my arm heals, at least. Thanks again for helping me. Regarding magic I really only use two types." "Oh? And what might those be?" Lilitu responded. "Lilitu uses circle magic, herself..." "Fire and Eye Magic. The latter being, well....less developed. I use it primarily for illusions. As for Fire Magic I use it pretty well. The bracer has runes that strengthen it." "Hmhmm." After a moment, she took a seat, pulling out her journal and scribbled something down in it. "What does circle magic allow you to do, then? Cant say im familiar with it." "Essentially anything." She says immediately, "It depends entirelly on how long one wishes to prepare." Sakael seems a bit surprised, although intrigued. "Could you make money, then?" "Given that one needs to provide sufficient energy to the circles, it would be rather...difficult to make precious metals." Lilitu responded, "And Nazareth's currency is digitally-backed." "Cant blame me for considering it." Sakael shrugs, but remembers he needs to stay still for Lilitu to work on his wound. "Oops. But yeah thats a pretty useful spark. To be honest I do think I'd stick with mine if I had a choice. I've grown attatched to it. Well, it is attatched to me literally. They're my bones afterall." "Hmhmm. Lilitu would be worried if you didn't ''get attached to it." She mused, the medical supplies finally packing themselves up under her power as she finished - still sitting and writing. "You mentioned your sister a bit earlier. What's she like then? Does she research Sparks as well?" Sakael rolls his sleeve back down as she finishes. "Luminita..." Lilitu started, smiling, "...She researches the effects of awakening plantlife...and runs her own flower shop." "Oh, cool. If the shop is nearby here of where I live I might take a visit. I mean, I dont really have a need for flowers but....good to see whats in Nazareth." Sakael fumbles with his bracer. "This thing gets way too uncomfortable. Need to find a better way to enhance my fire magic..." Lilitu idly glances up at a clock, "Hm..." Closing her journal, she stood up, "Lilitu has work to do. There should be a place around here to stay, if Sakael cannot make it home tonight..." She trailed off, waiting for a response. "Well I mean I can make it home but, well, I guess, uh...sure. I'll see if theres a place in here that I can stay in. Mind showing me?" Sakael puts his bag back on, and stops fumbling with his bracer. "Does Sakael have money for a hotel? There is a cheap one not too far from here." Lilitu offered as a suggestion. "Yeah I have enough for a hotel. Tell me what its called and i'll get a room. Thanks for helping me out, by the way." "It is just across the street." She pointed out the building in question, "It should have some free rooms already, so there should not be an issue, even this late at night." Sakael nods. "Good then, i'll get a room and hopefuly get some proper rest for once." Sakael starts to walk off. "See you another time, possibly?" "Lilitu works nights here. Feel free to stop by." She responded, waving goodbye, "Farewell." He puts two fingers to his head before pushing them forward as a wave. "Cya then." Sakael exits the building, heading to the hotel across the street. "''People seem to be pretty different here compared to Babylon. For the best, though." As he buys a room and eventually makes his way to it and enters it, he flops on the bed and passes out. A Little Light for Ancient Times The sun was shining above in the Golden City, lights dancing across the water of a river as people idly walked by. Signs flickered briefly before holding steady, advertising the countless businesses even in such a relatively-empty portion of the city - in particular, a sign advertising 'Luminita's Flowers - A Little Light to Brighten Your Day!'. It was not a particularly busy day, despite the weather - most people were still working, after all. Sarrum had been wandering around town, as usual for this time of best as most people were away at their jobs and the streets were a little more clear before stopping outside of a flower shop. Taking a few sniffs, he decides to go in, enjoying the smell of fresh plant life coming from inside. The store was surprisingly empty - the only person inside being at the till, seemingly asleep at first. A surprisingly small girl, with a rather odd purple-pink hat, leaning back in her chair with a magazine on her face. The moment the door opened, the jingling of bells was heard - and immediately the girl bounced up, seemingly alert, "Hai! Welcome to the Lumishop!" She said cheerfully, a grin on her face - her enthusiam seemingly infectious, an aura of cheerfulness emnating from her. Sarrum smiled at seeing her, instantly feeling more energized and carefree. "Thank you for that warm welcome. I just smelled the flowers and decided I'd take a look." He said going around the room stopping at a few patches, bending over to smell them up close. "Customer can take his time! Lumi has more flowers in the greenhouse!" She said cheerfully, wildly gesturing to the greenhouse entrance - before hopping over the counter and stepping next to Sarrum - it was a slow day, she could afford to leave the till unattended. "Why hello there, I take it you must be Lumi." Sarrum said smiling to her picking up a bouquet. "Yep! Lumi is Lumi~" She responded - looking up at Sarrum. She was almost a foot shorter than he was, standing at 5'1" - not that it seemed to dissuade her. There was a subtle aura around her - most would dismiss it as a trick of the light, but Sarrum likely recognized it as the Light of her soul, shining brightly even now. "My, my, you have quite the bright soul young one." Sarrum said patting Lumi's back. "I see you make quite the living here. Do you live alone?" Sarrum asked looking around to see if there were anybody else. "Lumi lives with her sister, Lilitu!" She said happily, not at all minding the physical contact. "She has helpers here, of course, though she doesn't need any today...tomorrow, though, six people will be in to help with stuffs around the greenhouse." She said, nodding to herself, "Would the customer like that bouquet?" She asked, tilting her head. Sarrum looked at the bouquet, forgetting he had it in his hands before laughing and shaking his head. "Oh my, I almost forgot I didn't own these yet. Of course I'll buy them to help support you and your sister." Luminita didn't seem bothered at all - she laughed with Sarrum, darting behind the counter with surprising speed, "Lumi thanks customer!" After a moment, she tilted her head, "What is customer's name? If he doesn't mind, of course!" Sarrum had just appeared infront of the counter, a light quickly fading from his previous location before he set the bouquet down. "I go by Sarrum. It's been a long time since I've called anything else." "...Teleportation?" Her head remained tilted for a moment, her hat starting to slide off before she abruptly adjusted it, seemingly thinking for a moment, "Alright! Sarrum can pay now, Lumi can give a bonus!" She said, ringing up the purchase. "What is Sarrum's favorite flower?" "Hmmm, I guess it would have to be the lotus flower." Sarrum says foundling around in his pockets dismissing how quickly Lumi caught on to his trick. "I know I have some current money on me somewhere..." he mumbled under his breath. Lumi reached down into the cupboards, spending a few moments there before coming back up with a single seed - and right before Sarrum's eyes, it sprouted and grew, despite a lack of water - instead of the more conventional roots of a lotus plant, it seemed to have a few vine-like structures, wrapping around Luminita's hands - before she handed it to Sarrum. "It shouldn't need water, it can get it from the air...or, at least, it should?" She said, thinking to herself. "Thank you." Sarrum said finally pulling out some cash and over paying for the flowers. "It's a pleasure meeting you Miss Lumi. You may keep the change." "Lumi thanks Sarrum!" She waved cheerfully, before snapping her fingers - a green flash appearing for a moment, the bouquet growing in size roughly 20%. "Have a wonderful day!" Sarrum heads out the door waving to Lumi. "You as well! Until next time!" Sarrum calls back before the door closes and he's walking away down the street. "What a nice lady." The Darkness That Met the Stars Sarrum and Gilgamesh, after being reunited back in Babylon, walked the streets of Nazareth catching up on the years that have passed, Sarrum doing most of the talking after Gilgamesh' disappearance. On the other side of the street, Lilitu walked, glancing down at her journal - spotting Sarrum and Gilgamesh. After a moment, she paused, looking from them to the journal, before turning to head over to them. Gilgamesh saw her heading their way first, holding his hand up to Sarrum to quiet him before glaring at Lilitu. "What do you want?" Sarrum grabbing Gil's shoulder smiling, before patting it and walking infront of him. "Forgive my friend, he's a bit...old school in his beliefs." Sarrum said apologizing for Gilgamesh, knowing he never would. Lilitu raised an eyebrow, almost seemingly amused - before speaking. "...Sarrum, right?" She asked, tilting her head briefly, "Lilitu heard Sarrum met her sister, Luminita..." Sarrum just smiled and chuckled before bowing to Lilitu. "I see, so you are the sister to the flower shop owner. She is quite the sweetheart, isn't she?" Gilgamesh just sighed under his breath. "You've gotten more tame my old friend. I respect that." he said before looking at Lilitu. "But she is nothing but a commoner. What worth does she has to me is she's not more useful than the average civilian?" Lilitu smiled at Sarrum's words, "She certainly is. As for the stranger..." Her eyes narrowed, the light seemingly dancing around her, a faint glow - an aura, almost - visible around her as she stared at Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh saw the light and just chuckled. "Look at that, she thinks she's people. Stay in your place whelp, there's no way you can stand up to me." he said glaring right back at her, pushing Sarrum to the side. Sarrum just sighed and stepped back, seeing where this was about to go. "I hope you know what you're doing." he said to both of them, staying out of their way. Lilitu actually smirked for a moment, before acting. Without moving, a ripple shot through the air, wrapping around Gilgamesh's foot as another one slammed into his shoulder, intending on spinning him around and tripping him so he landed on his ass - before yet another one shot towards his face. Gilgamesh smiled at the challenge, breaking free and flipping over the attack that shot towards his face as a golden light flies past Lilitu, Sarrum catching it before it hit a building and throwing it into the sky. "That was a warning shot child! The next one, won't miss." "Not that it would do anything." She stated - it wasn't a boast, she seemed to be stating simple fact, the air shimmering around her, two brilliant-white circles forming on the back of her hands before she spun around, flinging a pair of glowing bolts at Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh danced around the bolts, getting closer to Lilitu before another golden light came at her from the front, going directly towards her, with no doubt it would strike its target. "This is why you don't challenge a king." Lilitu smirked - the air shimmering in front of her, suddenly being forced to the left, deflecting the bolt flying towards her. At the same time, the two bolts behind Gilgamesh abruptly changed directions - silently aiming for the back of his head. Gilgamesh smiles after seeing his attack get deflected, Sarrum appearing in front of it and sending it into the air just like before. Gil continuing to dash towards Lilitu, not noticing the bolts were getting closer to him. Right before he reached her, Gilgamesh was hit, flying past his target to get caught by Sarrum to keep him from flying to the building. "I didn't ask for your help!" Gilgamesh says punching Sarrum into the ground before standing tall. The blasts slammed into Gilgamesh's back and head - striking the Light of his Soul like cannonballs. Lilitu smartly stepped to the side as Gilgamesh was sent flying past her, amused if nothing else. "Fine, you are strong. But still nothing more than a rodent among insects." Gilgamesh said before smiling. "I won't move from this spot." he said, having tested Lilitu enough to stop holding back. Raising an eyebrow, Lilitu formulated her response - a purple designforming on the back of her hand. Her telekinetic constructs shimmered around Gilgamesh, forming a matching design - before gravity underneath him inverted for half a second. Gilgamesh remained in the same spot, his eyes glowing red, as his ankles were shown to glow golden, held in place by chains coming from what seemed to be the ground, before a spear flew towards Lilitu from seemingly nowhere. Gilgamesh just smirking as his shirt flew off his body. Lilitu held a hand out - and caught the spear. Before she did, it seemed to hit the air in front of her - a sound of breaking glass heard as it smashed through a few of her barriers, slowing down enough for her to catch. "Is the king done?" She said, almost sarcastic. "Only the rodent has finished this foolishness." Gilgamesh said before Sarrum kicked him in the side of the head hard enough to send him staggering back a couple meters. "Okay, that's enough you too." Sarrum said cracking his knuckles. "Unless you want me to join in on this." he said smiling towards them both. Lilitu chose to say nothing, quietly observing the two - noticing the spark of magic in the kick. "We both know how our last fight went old friend!" Gilgamesh said recovering himself with an actual smile. "You mean both of us passing out in the middle of the road?" Sarrum said getting into a fighting stance, smiling with a large grin. Lilitu sighed, realizing this wasn't going anywhere, and took a seat nearby, simply watching from the sidelines. After about ten straight minutes of nonstop fighting, both guys suddenly stopped and bumped fists. "Feeling better now lil Gil?" Sarrum asked chuckling. "Much better. And you," Gilgamesh said pointing a spear a Lilitu, "I actually think you're quite strong. I take back what I said earlier, you are a warrior fit to join my army." Gilgamesh said, as close to a compliment as Lilitu would get anytime soon. Lilitu seemed...thoroughly unimpressed. "Lilitu does not even know who Sarrum's...companion is." She replied calmly. Gilgamesh just looked taken aback, while Sarrum bust out laughing, rolling on the ground. "I TOLD YOU NOBODY WOULD REMEMBER YOU! IT'S BEEN OVER TEN THOUSAND YEARS!" Lilitu raised an eyebrow, "Lilitu highly doubts that." She paused, "...Gil? Is not one of the Ten." Gilgamesh just glares daggers at her. "I don't know what 'Ten' you're referring to, but I am Gilgamesh! The King of Kings. The rightful ruler of Babylon." Sarrum just chuckled and pats Gil's back. "She doesn't remember you man. I've watched this world grow, and they just don't remember the true legends. Hell, they barely remember the time of the angels. Here kid." Sarrum says giving Lilitu a sample of his skin. "You're smart, you'll believe me after analyzing that." And with that, Sarrum and Gilgamesh vanished, a rose left in their place. Lighting Up The Crypt It was a fairly quiet day at the University of Nazareth - quiet enough that Lilitu managed to acquire a training hall for usage during the day. Luminita was there, slouched back in a chair as she waited for Sakael, seemingly taking a nap. A faint glow could be see around her. Sakael had already walked into the training hall, seemingly hesistant when seeing Luminita. He puts his hood up and walks closer, hands in his pockets. "Oi. Are you Lilitu's sister?" Luminita abruptly hopped up, spinning around to face Sakael, "Yep! Lumi is Lumi! Is stranger Sakael?" She asked, tilting her head - holding onto a rather familiar journal. Sakael is taken a bit aback by Lumi's enthusiasm. "...Yeah, Im Sakael." He raises a brow when he notices the journal. "Isn't that Lilitu's journal?" "Yes?" She said immediately, "Why wouldn't it be?" Shrugging, she started stretching, "Soooooo what would Sakael like to learn first?" Sakael opens his mouth to respond before closing it. "Nevermind. And...im not really sure. What're my options?..." "Lilitu said Sakael needed some help with soul techniques..." She paused, thinking, "Maybe barriers? Like this!" Holding up a hand, a shimmering, blue wall formed in front of her - vanishing after a moment before the 'glow' around her intensified, a similar barrier forming around her body. Sakael looks vaguely impressed. "That would actually help pretty well. My Spark doesn't allow great protection, and a graphene lined hoodie is nice but I could always use more defense." "Let's see what Sakael can do, first!" She said, smiling. "Hit Lumi with his best shot! Don't worry about her, she'll be fine!" Sakael nods and steps back, raising his hand as his silver bracer starts to shine, a purple fireball appearing in his hands. It starts to grow uncontrollably as the bracer gets brighter, and Sakael throws it directly at Lumi. When it struck her, there was a flash of light - and the fireball seemed to tear itself apart violently as it slammed into her barrier. As the smoke cleared, she nodded happily, "Good, good! Good starting point!" Sakael felt a twinge of annoyance, feeling as if he was being talked like like a child, but is able to shrug it off. "So how much can that barrier take anyway?" "...Quite a bit?" She said, thinking again, "Lumi hasn't tested it...for, uh, well, she doesn't want to hurt herself." She said, nodding to herself, "Anyways maybe Sakael could try? Can Sakael manifest the Light of his Soul yet?" To demonstrate, she started glowing again. Sakael looks away and seems a bit cross. "...Haven't attempted. Im....not entirely sure how to do it." "Not a problem! It's prettty simple. Think about moving your hand." After a moment, Luminita continued, "Now actually move it. Same concept for the Light of the Soul! It's part of you, so just use it, like your Spark!" Sakael sighs before making a few attempts, not getting it on the first try, clearly getting irritated. "Damnit..!" He keeps trying and eventually a black glow starts emitting from him. Luminita quietly waited, letting Sakael take things at his own pace - smiling as he finally manifested it. "Great! Should be much easier now! Now...focus on that Light - this part's mostly willpower, so...Sakael just focuses it into a shape he wants! Wall, shield, barrier, or even..." Thrusting her arm out to the side, a brilliant-white projectile shot out and slammed into the wall, leaving a scorch mark. Sakael took a sword to just move his arms around, watching the glow follow his body as he moves, a child like grin appears on his face. "This, is going to be fun." He takes a second to concentrate before the glow around him manifests into a halberd. "Sick." He twirls it around for a second before realizing Lumi was watching and stops. Luminita was just quietly observing, seeing what Sakael could come up with. The halberd seemed to be...extremely rough, almost immaterial - the edges indistinct, more of a vaguely hablerd-shaped mass of energy. Sakael didn't even notice how rough what he made was, still relishing in it regardless. He stops and the halberd dissapears. "Dont know why I didn't try this sooner, could have helped me from that a lot of injuries if I had a barrier." "Not many people nowadays know about these techniques..." She trailed off, pausing for a moment, "Lumi doesn't know why, any Awakened can do them." She shrugged, "Wanna try them out?" ".....I'll probably keep it a secret regardless. Keeps an edge. And sure. Albeit you'll probably have an advantage." Sakael takes a few more steps back. Lumi nodded, moving the chair out of the area - and moving to the other side, stepping into a readied stance. "Whenever Sakael is ready! Don't hold back!" Sakael cracks his fingers before rolling up his sleeves, stretching as blade like bones begin to grow and point out from his arms, as if they were arm blades. They are noticably covered in blood, but the exit wound from the bone quickly closes. "Forgot how risky that can be." He rushes Lumi, attempting to get in close as he tries to strike her abdomen with the bone arm blade. Luminita darted to the side, easily avoiding the attack as she suddenly leapt up - a barrier forming under her, Jumping up from that, she leapt clean over Sakael, a bolt of energy suddenly shooting towards his back. As she jumped, a number of objects fell out of her pockets - seemingly seeds. Before the bolt can hit him, Sakael rolls out of the way and adjusts himself so when he gets out of the roll, he is facing Luminita. He retaliates by creating a wave of black energy with his Light of the Soul, scorching the seeds and nearly hitting Lumi. Luminita glowed briefly - her trajectory altering in midair as she twisted to the side, avoiding the wave of energy. Clenching her hands together, five points of light formed around her head - before each shot towards Sakael. Subtly, she tapped into her power - trying to nudge Sakael's emotions towards confusion and fear without him noticing. Oddly enough, Sakael is able to fight with his emotions being altered, creating a large fireball that is larger than than the one Lumi let herself get hit with when demonstrating a barrier, although the trajectory is off. Luminita simply ducked under the fireball, throwing a few more seeds towards Sakael while he's distracted with the bolts already flying towards him. In midair they started to grow, rapidly forming vines - as she intended to simply immobilize him. Sakael is able to create a black barrier that surrounds his body at the last second, protecting himself from the bolts. His bracer begins to shine once more, longer than usual as a gigantic wave of flame unleashes outwards, incinerating the vines that start to rapidly form. He starts running at Luminita again, while a faint glow from underneath his hood coming from his eyes is able to be seen for a split second. Luminita suddenly ducked down, her arms and legs briefly glowing as she held her ground - waiting for Sakael to come closer - before simply attempting to uppercut him, her hand visibly glowing. Sakael gets directly into her face, but as she uppercuts him, he fades into nothing. Luminita can feel a strong force hitting her back, where Sakael has roundhouse kicked her. "Wrong one." Luminita darted forward - surprisingly unaffected, as if she saw it coming. "Lumi can still sense Sakael!~" She says teasingly, the ground underneath Sakael suddenly glowing brightly. Sakael gets irritated by the teasing in her voice, and quickly gets off the glowing ground, using fire magic to jet himself off of it even faster. He spins in the air and kicks twice, both kicks sending waves of fire towards Luminita. The marked ground exploded underneath Sakael, the blast reaching him even as he jumped away, Luminita jumping back in turn, "...Lumi probably shouldn't have done that. Is expensive to fix..." She said casually, dodging. Sakael seems rather fine despite the blast as he lands. He looks back to the explosion before looking back to Luminita, dissapointed. "I get sometimes in a fight you can forget where you are, but really?" Lumi shrugged, "Lumi gets excited sometimes? She rarely has time for spars..." She almost seemed sad - almost. "Oh, well. Is this enough for Sakael for today?" The bones retract back into Sakael's body, the wound closing completely but leaving a slight scar, and nearby are countless other scars. "Yeah, good enough." He pulls his hood down. "Got really hot in here. Probably because of the fire." Lumi doesn't seem affected. "Sakael will find it easier to ignore things like that. Comes with the Light of the Soul!" "Its not very light considering mine is, yknow. Black. Does that mean anything at all or does it just randomly vary?" "Nope!" With that, Lumi started glowing again - the color shifting through the entire spectrum. "Usually just favorite color." "Huh. I usually think Purple is my favorite but I do wear....a lot of black- okay maybe black is my favorite. Whatever." Sakael shrugs as he creates a rudimentary chair with his Light. "Careful." Lumi warned - the chair just as indistinct as the halberd earlier. "That won't hold. Not yet, at least!" "Im sure it'll be f-" The chair dissipates and Sakael falls to the floor, but just lays there. "God damnit." Lumi doesn't say anything, visibly trying not to laugh as she starts scribbling something down in the journal before coming over to help Sakael up. Sakael accepts her help. "I'll keep practicing. I'll be damned if I cant make a chair whenever I want. Babylon really needs some benches here and there. Mind if I ask what you're writing?" "Just in Lumi and Lilitu's journal. Does...Sakael..." She paused, uncertain, "Does Sakael know about the two?" "What, you and Lilitu? Considering i've talked to you both im pretty sure I know about you two. Or do you mean something else?" "Lumi means..." She paused, glancing at the time, "...Give it three minutes." Sakael looks unamused. "Three minutes for what? Lilitu to rush in with cookies? Thats the only thing i'd be interested about." Sakael still looks unamused. "...I really like cookies." "Ooh, Lumi can make cookies for Sakael!" She said cheerily - so cheerily, in fact, that she inadvertly used her Spark to create a cheerful aura. As the time ticked by, Luminita seemed to start glowing strangely - her body seemingly becoming light, clothes and all, yet not making the room any brighter. Sakael's face shifted to one with surprise. "...Are you able to make cookies with Light of the Soul or something....? Does it take a lot more energy to make something edible then? Only reason as to why you can be glowing." Sakael checks the time on his phone and notices that the three minutes Lumi mentioned are running out, and he starts to get confused. "Uh....should I do something?" There was a pulse of light as Luminita's form became entirely indistinct - shifting and twisting...before the light faded, revealing Lilitu, who blinked as she looked around, "Oh. Hello, Sakael." Sakael looks dumbfounded. "....Im sorry what? I mean hello but, what?" Lilitu calmly glanced down at her journal - the book had remained untouched in the change - before speaking up. "Luminita is...asleep." "That doesn't help me understand anything. At all. Let me just explain this to you from my perspective. Luminita starts glowing a LOT more than usual, mentions three minutes and you suddenly take her place, stating shes asleep." Sakael looks confused and almost irritated. "....What the fuck?" Lilitu smiled briefly, clearly amused, before explaining. "Luminita and Lilitu are in..." She paused, "Lilitu suspects a state of Thaumiel. The two are divided, separate souls, sharing the same place in the world." Sakael sighs. "As wonderful as magic and soul shit can be its can be really annoying. Has it been like that since you were kids? Where is Lumi now?" "Yes, the two have always been like this. Luminita is..." Lilitu paused, thinking, "Lilitu is not certain. The experience is akin to sleep, the two dream but otherwise are not aware. Not that it stops Luminita from napping." "Has that caused any problems? Like if you're eating a cake, and you switch, is Lumi allowed to finish eating the cake?" Sakael is clearly trying to make humor out of the situation. "Only in the past. The two have lived with it for their entire lives. It is...simple for them." She responded, "Luminita bakes the cakes either way." "Figured. She offered to bake cookies after I mentioned them. Anyways suppose its good to see you. Lumi was rather...eccentric." Lilitu smiled, "Yes. A Little Light to Brighten Your Day." She quoted, chuckling to herself briefly, "She came up with that one." "Cant say im used to energy like that, I mean its not bad but...eh? They're a good person though." Sakael eyes the crater from the explosion caused earlier. "We sparred and made a bit of a mess." "Lilitu noticed." When Sakael spotted the crater, he noticed that all the debris had already been disposed of in a nearby bin, likely courtesy of Lilitu. "Luminita's energy pulse technique is...effective, though..." "Kinda reckless. I can be reckless at times to but I try to do minimal damage to my surroundings as possible. Bad to leave a trace. Most damage I end up doing is just scorch marks." "Fortunately the university accounts for Awakened." Lilitu said with a sigh, "Insurance companies must hate it." She mused, tilting her head, "Perhaps Sakael would like to join Lilitu? She was just about to grab..." A pause. "...Breakfast for herself, courtesy of Luminita's cooking." Sakael seems unsure at first, but nods. "Could go for some food. Fighting made me hungry, so sure. Gonna guess Lumi does most of the cooking?" "Luminita does all of the cooking." Lilitu nodded in response, "...For good reason." "Considering Lumi taUght me some Soul techniques I could try to teach you how to cook. Granted, im average." "Don't." Lilitu said without skipping a beat, "It will not end well." Sakael only imagines what could have gone wrong, assuming there were previous attempts to teach Lilitu how to cook. "....Right. So, we're going to eat, then?" "Lilitu believes that Luminita made some form of stew last night." She said, thinking, "Lilitu lives nearby." Lilitu turned to leave - glancing back, awaiting Sakael. "Alright, i'll follow close." Sakael starts walking after her. It wasn't a particularly long walk - the sunset casting long shadows over the city, the golden hues emphasized by the fading light of day. The sounds of the city slowly quieted, the airships above barely audible, red trails following them as they moved. Lilitu led Sakael to a simple apartment building, stepping inside easily and calling the elevator for the fourth floor. "Do you ever get bored of how bright this city can be? Well, not bored but rather does it ever irritate you? Feel like everytime I go outside someone is shining a flashlight in my face." "Lilitu has always lived here. She is used to it. Above the city streets, things...darken quickly, the streetlamps below are designed to illuminate the streets rather than the city." She replied, opening the door to her apartment. "Efficient, yet beautiful." "Never really thought about it that way. Maybe im just used to the dark." He walks into the apartment, a bit awkwardly as he is unsure what to do. Lilitu took a seat, the table setting itself as she did so - including the food, already warm and ready. "If only Lumi taught me how to do that." Sakael took a seat as well, eyeing the food, seeming to wait for Lilitu to eat first. "How to cook?" She took a bite - sighing happily as she did so, "Ah...exquisite." "No, how to move shit with magic." Sakael eats as well, finding it very enjoyable. "Holy shit your sister is a really good cook, what the fuck?" Lilitu chuckled, "That is Lilitu's Spark, not magic. And yes, Luminita is a brilliant cook. Lilitu was never certain how she learned..." "Oh. Sorry, bit out of it. I dont get much sleep. Ever" Sakael continues eating, fighting off a yawn. "Where is Sakael staying, at the moment?" Lilitu asked. "I would be living in a dorm at a different university in Nazareth but for...reasons, im living off campus with some other....dickheads. Due to how I travel it takes forever for me to get home and I have trouble sleeping." "Hmhmm. Feel free to stay the night. Lilitu has nothing going on today, other than some personal research." Pulling out her phone, she began flipping through menus - a holographic display forming around her. "Its really appreciated, thanks. After I finish eating im likely going to pass out. Wont need a blanket by the way, just a couch would be minimum." He seems a bit impressed by her phone. "Really need to upgrade, im a few generations behind." "Lilitu doesn't own a bed. No need for one." Lilitu replied, pausing for a moment, "Would Sakael like to inspect her phone?" She offered. "Oh, no thats fine. The offer is nice, though. Besides my phone still gets the job done even if its not the newest." "Hmhmm." She returned to her work, quietly humming to herself. Sakael continued to eat, finishing after a while. "Right, do you mind if I attemot to catch some rest now? Really long day." "Go ahead. Lilitu is quiet enough, and does not need much light. Good night, Sakael." She replied, smiling at him. "Night. Dont let the assholes bite." He smiles back before taking off his hoodie, revealing heavily scarred arms, likely from bone manipulation, before he finds the couch and passes out on it. That Which Goes Bump In The Night It was about time. The streets got dark fast enough to clear out the majority of good Samaritans who didn't wish to meet any unsavory characters, leaving very few to wander. Some of them were on their way home, some were on their way to look for some trouble, and others had very, very different ideas in mind, namely one man in an alleyway on his way to have some fun. With a yawn, Malcolm took off his fisherman's cap and threw it into the dumpster, shuddering at the thought of ever wearing it again, as the day as a fisherman he spent was nothing short of dreadful. Trying to forget that, he gripped his back pocket, firmly feeling his multi-tool knife and reassuring himself that better times awaited. A soft mewl did nothing but whet his appetite for whatever exactly it was that people called this feeling. "Hunger? Temptation? Anger?" He said to himself, scratching his chin as he walked towards where he heard the mew. Sakael was walking nearby, seeming a bit more energetic due to getting some proper sleep for once. He checked his phone for a bit while he walks, before he turns his head after hearing a quiet mewl and some footsteps. He paid no mind to it however and instead continued walking. Malcolm continued to go about his business, finding a small litter of kittens, smiling as he reached out his hand to pet one, only to be met with a nip to the finger. "Ouchie. That's not very nice, little kitty" He said with a chuckle, scooping up the small kit with one hand, separating it from its siblings as the rest loudly mewed in complaint, earning Malcolm's annoyance. "Be quiet or the rest of you come along." He said, gripping the kitten in his hand as it struggled. He began to leave the alleyway, as a young man passed by, Malcolm's lack of attention making him bump into Sakael, sending Malcolm over and making him drop the kitten who happily escaped his grasp. Sakael nearly dropped his own phone, and quickly catches the kitten before it hits the ground. "You'd think someone with a kitten in their arms would pay more attention." ''Sakael sodesnt say anything aloud for a bit, before handing the kitten back to Malcolm. "Sorry. Guess I wasn't paying attention." "Oh no, nothing of the sort, I'm afraid I was distracted by this little fellow here." Malcolm said, giving Sakael a grin as he stood up and took back the kitten. "You'd never believe it, but I've always been interested in cats, no matter how much they seem to hate me. This little guy is no exception." Getting back to business, Malcolm felt around for his multi tool knife in his back pocket, his eyes widening as he realised what had just happened. In the fall, he must have dropped it. "....Right." Sakael seemingly just wants to go about his way until he sees Malcom's eyes widen, sighing. "Something wrong?" He puts his hands in his pockets, seeming rather cautious about Malcolm. "Just thought I might have dropped my lighter nearby, probably fell out while I fell." Malcolm said with a reassuring smile, beginning to look around the area where he fell, holding the kitten rather roughly with one hand. "Nothing to worry about, I swear." Sakael takes a few steps back, taking one of his hands out of his pocket and to the side of his leg. "You should probably handle that cat a bit better. It doesn't seem very happy." Sakael idly watches Malcolm's movements. "Hmm. You may well be right. I just picked up this little alley cat to give it a home, but I'm afraid I've never owned one. I can't really handle one, due to lack of experience, but I'm willing to learn." Malcolm loosened his grip on the kitten, instead using both hands to hold it lightly, as the cat weakly went limp in his hold. "Thanks for pointing that out... Ah, sorry, seems I don't know your name. I'm Malcolm. Malcolm Evolent. Aspiring animal adopter? Yeah. That'll do. Whatever tips you have to offer, i'm all ears." Sakael's head picks up after hearing Evolent. "What, Evolent as in Ben Evolent? Huh. Didn't think i'd ever meet someone related to the big hunter himself. As for the kitten I didnt actually have a cat. I had a Ball Python and an Iguana. I just know that most animals dont like being held so tightly." Sakael keeps his hand at his leg, still oddly cautious of Malcolm. "Yeah, i'm the 'prodigal's son' I suppose. I'll take your tip to heart, as the cat seems to be more agreeable now, but you still haven't given me your name." Malcolm noted, giving a few glances to his own sides, still searching for his multi-tool. "Sakael. Keeping my last name for confidentiality. Dont mean to be rude. Anyways, guessing you live around here then? In Nazareth?" "Indeed, pops settled down around here. I wouldn't be out at night wandering the streets of some place I don't live. That'd be suicidal, even in Nazareth. Pleasure to meet you Sakael, no harm from keeping some things private. Everyone's got one thing or another they'd like to keep to themselves. A name is one of the better things." Malcolm said, lacking any particular malice, instead scratching at something stuck on his right index finger's nail. "You from around here as well, or somewhere foreign?" "If you think its suicidal here, you haven't been to Babylon. Thats where im from. Good to meet you too." He adjusts his hood slightly. "Im actually heading back there now. There are a few things I need to take care of." "Babylon, quite a piece of work indeed. Used to be quite nasty, from what I hear anyways. Should be better now though, with it's reform and all." Malcolm said, gently patting the kitten in his hands. "I suppose I'll see you around then, Sakael." He calmly said, waving him a quick goodbye with his free hand. Sakael waves back. "Yeah, see you." He hesitantly walks past Malcolm, putting his hand back into his pocket. "''Somethings a bit off with him. Whatever, same can be said for everybody I guess. Including me." ''He starts to whistle, puffing his hood up as he looks for a route to head back to Babylon. Malcolm continued to wave as Sakael walked off, and as he was sure Sakael was a good distance away, he dropped the kitten and stuck his hand down a sewer grate, pulling out his multi-tool and flicking open the knife, taking a look at the fallen feline with an inquisitive stare, before sighing loudly, retracting the knife and leaving the kitten. ''I lost the feeling. New acquaintances aren't worth this much trouble. He thought to himself, frowning as he walked home, stuffing the blade into his pocket. Babylon might be a better place for this kind of thing. Pretty obvious nobody'd ask any questions. As far as Malcolm's night was going, it was just about over. No fun today. Back To Step One Within the lower district of the Golden City, where most is usually unlight and kept inside shadows, small lights and faint commotion is emanating from a rather small bar hidden between two much darker and taller structures. Between the alleyways of the buildings, a small pane of shattered glass is hovering there, glistening the faint rays of moonlight that manages to pierce its way into the district. Not long after a figure steps through, and despite the darkness, some notable features literally glow out; the membrane of his wings faintly glow a dark red as they stretch out, the figure's eyes also shine out a strong red, etched as arcane circles. However when the figure takes his first steps outside the glass, he staggers, placing his arm against the nearby wall to keep him up, his eyes close for a moment and all is silent until a sigh can be heard. "...Fuck." The person scratches his hand into the concrete wall as he makes it way out of the alleyway, the glass shattering into pieces behind him as he takes a moment to look at the surrounding area, taking mental notes before his attention is natrually drawn to the bar. With nowhere else to go as of right now, he straigtens up and makes his way into the bar, as the lights shine down they reveal the figure's appearance, which is rather staggering to take in at first sight. Other than the wings and tail, he resembles a normal person; black jacket with an attached hood, jeans, dark blue shirt, black boots. He takes a seat and looks at the options for the drinks he could have. Surpisingly enough, many of the patrons of the bar only gave the figure an odd look before returning to their drinks and conversations - all save the man next to him. As the figure looked at the drinks - fortunately in a language he could read - the man spoke, "Hey, kid, get those things outta my face." He said, moving his hand - and grabbing onto the figure's wing and forcing it back. The figure's head slowly turns to look at the man, only for a small smirk to grow on his face as he turns back to look at the options. Only for the wing to lightly smack the man across the back of his head. ''"Oh, my bad. They have a mind of their own." The response was swift - a fist lashing out and striking the wing on one of the joints - a brief pulse of light visible as it struck - with far more force than there should have been. ''The figure flinches at the sudden hit and he just inhales and slowly breathes out, he reaches for a bottle and slowly drains the contents of the bottle down his throat. He makes a relieved sigh before swinging the bottle across to the man's head. The man caught the figure's arm before the bottle struck him - the force of impact enough that the figure was forced to let go, the bottle going flying across the room to shatter against the wall. Many people were starting to get up to pay before leaving, knowing what was coming. "Look, kid, if you stop this now I won't have to break you." The figure just chuckles to himself as he stands up, cracking his knuckles as he kicks some tables and chairs out of the way before turning towards the man. "Oh spare me the details, I've dealt with much worse than some old washed up drunk." The figure gets into an unusal stance, rather lose but has some ridgedness to it as his smirk is still on his face. The man held up one finger, pausing to down the rest of his drink before getting to his feet, "Welp, thought I'd get a break, but guess not." He said, cracking his knuckles, seemingly holding himself wide open for an attack. "Oh, and by the name. The name's Drake." Drake simply says before grabbing a filled bottle, he throws the bottle into the air and smashes his heel into it, causing both liquid and shattered glass to be sent flying towards the man. The man quickly turned to the left, most of the glass simply missing him - and what did hit him seemed to bounce off, a flash of light sparking off on impact. Without warning, he suddenly charged forward, ducking down low and moving to uppercut Drake. Drake quickly takes a halfstep back and grabs the entire arm, Drake quickly turns and throws the man over his shoulder, letting go to jump to the over side of the bar. Immediately, the man grabbed onto Drake's shoulder, twisting out of his grip and using his own weight to keep Drake in place - pulling him to the ground as he stood up, dusting himself off briefly. "Next?" He still chuckles. ''"Not bad." ''He quickly sweep kicks the man, staggering him while Drake rolls back up to his feet, a quick spring in his step. ''"But you're not beating me, you're out of your league." The man seemed to be exaggerating as he staggered back, easily avoiding the tables behind him, "That's cute. Who do you think you are, anyways? Just another kid trying to play the tough guy?" "Oh nothing much, but I doubt you would believe me if I was telling the truth. But if you need a short answer: someone who's enjoying this." ''Drake speeds towards the man and jumps onto the table, rapidly kicking anything on them towards the man as he makes it way towards him. He continued dodging easily - moving towards Drake all the while, making exaggerated movements in a very obvious attempt to mock his opponent. Drake grabs two chairs and throws them at the man, all while charging directly into him. He grabbed one of the chairs, ducking under the other one before spinning around once, swinging the chair back at Drake. In a strange act of agility, Drake manages to jump off of the chair by flapping his wings a few times to get the required lift before he quickly dives down and lands on the man. ''"Nice try." ''The man notices Drake's left eye becoming black but still retains the arcane cirlce as suddenly the pressure put on the man's chest slowly increases. The man actually rolled his eyes in response, before simply grabbing onto Drake's leg and twisting - the force enough to cause him to stumble and fall off him as the man leapt to his feet. Before Drake could fall on the floor, a dark shadowy figure appears underneath Drake and pushes him back up, giving him enough momentum for Drake to lunge forward with a tightened fist, with the punch landing directly on the man's cheek. He didn't flinch or step back - a shimmer in the air forming into a solid barrier right where Drake's fist struck. Shaking his head, he spoke, "Getting real tired of this." Abruptly, he swung at Drake's face - intending on elbowing him if he missed, before moving to kick at his knees, intending on toppling him one more time. Within the split second and at the same time, Drake raises his right leg and manages to wrap around the man's leg and keeps it there. Drake also quickly grabs the forearm of the man with his right hand, his smirk is gone as he quickly turns to his right, using his weight to drag the man around. He suddenly losens up and lets go before tackling him into the barstand. Getting slammed into the barstand didn't seem to bother the man, a number of glasses falling off and shattering. Abruptly reaching up, he grabbed onto Drake's wings and pulled- attempting to break them or rip them off. A sudden roar in pain as the wings are being pulled, but with two sudden strikes to the inside of the elbows which forces the man to let go. Drake grabs hold on the man and smashes his head against his nose, possibly breaking it before kneeing the man in the gut. ''"You little bastard..." While he did let go, he didn't seem particularly injured - the damn barrier flaring up and blocking the strikes. He was about to strike back, before a voice called, "Alright, break it up, you two!" The bartender shouted, holding up a shotgun. ''Drake's eyes scans towards the man then the bartender, weighing his options between making a distraction and just settling down. However the decision is made for him as a shadowy figure forms out of Drake and separating the two from each other's grasp before sinking back into Drake, who only has a slightly confused yet annoyed expression. ''"...Ok then, thanks for that." The man glanced towards the bartender, grumbling to himself and eyeing Drake warily. "Hmph. Guess the fun's over." ''A moment of silence passes before Drake takes a seat and chuckles, eyeing the multitude of brands. ''"So, guessing you're still serving?" After a few moments, the bartender sighed, people returning to their drinks. Drake's opponent spoke up, "He'd better. After that brawl? I could use something. Your next drink's on me." "Depends; what's the currency here?" The man blinked. "This." He reaches into his wallet, pulling out a note - simple denominations and colors, but a visible piece of 'flexible electronics' on it. "Digitally-backed. Uh, where you from, anyways?" "I'll explain it later." ''Drake says with a smirk, he then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small translucent cube that seemingly glows, within moments the cube's shape changed into a screen that displays many items just like files on a computer. He flicks his finger across the screen but sighs. ''"Huh... Of all the things I don't have... Do you accept gold?" Matthias burst out laughing immediately, "Gold? You ''definitely aren't from around here! Gold's not worth much, not after someone completely wrecked the price of it twenty years back. I've got your drink covered, don't worry." "Oh, so it's the same here as it is where I am... Yeah that makes sense, I'm used to just giving bars out for a small snack because they were worthless. Thanks anyways." He closes the screen and the cube goes back into his pocket. ''"And I'll have anything, really." "Heh. Bartender, two of...uh, those." Matthias pointed vaguely in the direction of the menu. "But yeah." ''Drake calmly says, finally relaxing. ''"So who ruined the gold here?" "Someone named Nick. Nicholas. Something like that. Had some kind of transmute Spark." Matthias shrugged, downing his new drink in one gulp. "Oh fantastic, what happened with him?" ''Drake only take a few sips from his drink and ponders a few things. "Fuck if I know. I think he's still alive, but not sure what he's doing now." Matthias replied. "Hmm... Maybe there could be some mercenary work to do, it would be nice to go back to my roots." Drake responds, finishing his drink. Recruiting the Dark Lilitu was at home, on her Aurora-6 Holophone, currently attempting to develop a few new spells. Circle magic is extremely formulaic - to the point where computer simulations can accurately model their effects. A man in an extremely tidy black suit was approaching her door, constantly adjusting himself to make sure everything was in place. He took put a pair of shades from his pocket before putting them on. He presses something on his wrist before clearing his throat. "This is Agent Doe. First candidate will be approached shortly." He got infront of the door and knocked, putting his hands behind his back, waiting. After a few moments, Lilitu answered the door, "Yes?" The holophone was still active, a few screens visible behind her - mostly (literally) arcane formulas and walls of text. After a moment, she continued, "Is something wrong?" She asked, correctly assuming that the man was a government agent. Doe glanced at the screens from behind his glasses, before quickly putting a hand out for her to shake, almost robotic and as if he's done it millions of times before. "Regarding you, no. But is can involve you. Do you mind if I step in, Ms. Anima?" "Not at all." Lilitu said, somewhat wary - but not stupid enough to ignore him. Holding the door open, she let him in - motioning to a seat and turning her holophone off. Doe nods and takes a seat where she motions, clasping his hands together. "I must have you know that information im going to release to you, if you agree to listening, is highly confidential. You will not be permitted to tell anyone other than we give you the okay to tell. Is there anyone else here?" "Luminita, by technicality. But..." She paused, "...Doe? Likely already knew that." She said, having barely overheard a few whispers. "Of course. It'd be silly if me or my workers didn't know about your condition. And yes, I am Agent Doe. It would be preferred if you were to call me by that title rather than just Doe. But that isn't very important right now. What is important is the rising situation that is a cause for concern for me, and you." "And what might this situation be?" Lilitu asked, her journal flipping open of its own accord as she scribbled something down. Agent Doe startes blankly before taking a deep breath. "It has come to our attention that some sort of bio weapon has been released into the Dominion of Keter. Its a virus that is highly contagious and takes full control of the host, changing them with highly specialized mutations to continue spreading itself. As far as we can tell it appears to be sentient." Lilitu froze, eyes widening almost imperceptably. After a moment, she spoke. "That...sounds like something straight out of myth." She replied, "An ancient weapon from the Age of Angels." Agent Doe nods. "That's what we suspect it to be, yes. However further research is required before any complete claims are made. If it is indeed the virus of legend, we can only assume the worst of circumstances have happened for it to break out. We need people, people like you to assist us with taking down this threat." "Where was the bioweapon released? If it is Insidia, then..." She frowned, "Who else is on the list?" "The list is fairly new, however your sister is next. As well as the vigilante from Babylon. Not one of our agents has been able to get substantial info on him but we remain diligent. He's become one of the most elusive men in Keter." "Sakael?" Lilitu asked, "Lilitu knows him. Allow her to...convince him of the threat. She will also handle Luminita." Agent Doe for the first time in the encounter loses some of his composure. "Excuse me? You know the vigilante? Stay in touch the moment you finish talking to him. I absolutely need to speak with him. Your help will be greatly appreciated." "Certainly. Lilitu can call him, if Agent Doe would like." She replied, the holophone reactivating. "Definitely. I will wait until you are finished convincing him." "Hmhmm." With a gesture, Lilitu immediately called Sakael - given the circumstances, it was...something of a priority. It takes a while for Sakael to pick up, sounding ragged and tired as if he was just waking up from a nap. "Hey, Lilitu. Something up? Other than me, now." "Yes. How soon can Sakael get to Lilitu's home?" She said, right to the point, "There is...something of a situation." "You're lucky I just came back from Babylon. If you really want me there I'll try to make it as soon as possible." There was a pause. "This is a serious call, right? Not for...nevermind. I'll be there soon." Lilitu blinked, saying nothing for a few moments, "Get over here as soon as possible." She said, before simply hanging up. Agent Doe seems a bit uncomfortable, and adjusts his tie. "...Anyways. Its my job to reach out to others abd see if they are up to the task of dealing with supposedly Insidia. You can always back out now if the task is too much." "If this is Insidia, it must be dealt with immediately." Lilitu replied without hesitation, "Lilitu's Spark is ideal for the job. She will help." "Wonderful. We have a few assumptions on what...Sakael's spark is, but we can't pin it down. Our only things to go off are chunks of bone and scorch marks." "He should be here shortly." After a moment, she continued, "Lilitu hopes that he has been training his soul barriers. Bone is..." A sigh, "...Not very useful against Insidia. His skill, on the other hand..." "We know about his skills. He plasters his skill all over where he's last been seen to put it with minimal detail. I assume his spark is bone related, then. No, that wont do well with Insidia at all. I do hope he'll be able to find a way to deal with that." "Hm. Could still be useful against the Hosts, just...offense only. Bone armor is somewhat less than useless in such situations." Lilitu replied, mentally going over scenarios - activating her holophone and starting to work on a few potential situations involving the virus. Moments pass and Sakael opens the door, and immediately spots Agent Doe. "...Oh shit." Category:Dominion of Keter Category:Cities